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Government of Canada Supports Skilled Trades With Apprenticeship Incentive Grant in Manitoba

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - Oct. 19, 2007) - The Honourable Vic Toews, President of the Treasury Board and regional minister for Manitoba, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today continued the federal government's investment in skilled workers with the launch of the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant in Manitoba, at Maxim Transportation Services Inc. in Winnipeg.

The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant provides a $1,000 cash grant per year to registered apprentices who have completed their first or second year in a Red Seal trade program, on or after January 1, 2007. It will help apprentices achieve their goals by offsetting the costs of tuition, travel and tools. It is estimated that, annually, up to 100,000 apprentices in Canada will be entitled to receive this taxable cash grant.

"Our Government is committed to creating the best-educated, most-skilled, and most flexible workforce in the world," said Minister Toews. "The new Apprenticeship Incentive Grant will help thousands of young apprentices in Manitoba succeed and assist businesses who need staff with the right expertise."

"Over 50 percent of Maxim's workforce are professionals employed in the skilled trades," said Mr. Paul Graham, Vice President of Service for Maxim Transportation Services Inc. "For this reason, we have set a clear focus on recruitment and retention of trades people and technicians. We welcome the government's Apprenticeship Incentive Grant to further support the trades within the transportation industry."

The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant is one of the measures introduced by the Government to assist apprentices, tradespeople and employers in the skilled trades sector. Effective May 2006, the Government introduced a Tradesperson's Tools Deduction to help eligible tradespeople across the country to save on the cost of work-related tools. It also introduced an Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit to provide employers with up to $2,000 per apprentice for each of the first two years of their contract.

In Budget 2006 the Government invested more than $500 million over two years to support apprentices and skilled tradespersons, including the new Apprenticeship Incentive Grant program investment of $125 million.

Application forms for the grant are available at Service Canada Centres and on the Internet. Service Canada is responsible for processing applications and delivering cheques.

For more information on the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, visit the following Web site: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca, call 1-866-742-3644 (TTY 1-866-909-9757), or visit your local Service Canada Centre.

This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.

BACKGROUNDER

INTERPROVINCIAL STANDARDS RED SEAL PROGRAM

As a work-based system of training and certification that is well-established in Canada, apprenticeship contributes to the development of a skilled labour force. Developing and maintaining national occupational standards and examinations for the Red Seal trades help to address challenges brought about by changing labour market requirements.

Provinces and territories have the legal authority to designate trades occupations for apprenticeship and are responsible for training and certification matters.

Interprovincial Mobility

The Red Seal Program, delivered in partnership with the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship, was established in 1952 to provide greater mobility across Canada for skilled journeypersons. Most jurisdictions have participated in the program since its inception, with the exception of Quebec, which joined the program in 1971, and Nunavut, which joined the program in 1999.

The Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program is the key to addressing mobility of trade workers. The program allows journeypersons with a Red Seal endorsement to practice their trade in any province or territory in Canada without having to write further examinations. However, in some cases, when moving from one province or territory to another, journeypersons may be required to complete a registration process prior to commencing work in a compulsory Red Seal trade.

The endorsement, a Red Seal, is affixed to a provincial/territorial Certificate of Qualification signifying the attainment of interprovincial standards for the training and certification of workers in the designated trades and occupations. The Red Seal is acquired by writing an approved interprovincial examination and attaining a minimum mark of 70 per cent. Candidates for examination must have acquired the pre-requisite training and/or work experience for the trade specified before attempting the interprovincial examination.

There are currently 49 Red Seal trades covering approximately 80 per cent of the Canadian skilled trades work force. The Interprovincial Standards Red Seal examination is the only certification examination in all but two provinces (Alberta and Quebec). In Alberta and Quebec, an apprentice is required to write the provincial examination for certification purposes, followed by the Red Seal examination for mobility purposes.